Welcome to the Arts Award Supporter page!

The Children’s Bookshow is an organisation that puts together a tour of children’s authors, illustrators, poets and storytellers. Our aim is to delight and inspire children with great poems, beautiful illustrations and gripping storytelling. So if you are working towards an Arts Award in literature, we might be able to help. Here's what we offer…

Theatre events
Our national tour takes place in the autumn term and brings some of the best children’s authors from the UK and abroad to local theatre venues so that teachers and school children can have the opportunity to hear world-class artists talk about their work.

Hands-on workshops
Linked to our theatre events, we are also able to offer a limited number of free in-school workshops where authors and illustrators come in to a school and work with a group of children on their own stories, poems or illustrations. These workshops offer an amazing opportunity for children to explore their own creativity and to become artists in their own right.

Our theatre events and workshops are aimed at children aged from 5 up to 14 and would be suitable for the Discover and Explorer Arts Awards.

Find an event near you
Please visit the dates and venues page to find an event near you in autumn 2017.

In the meantime, here are examples of how our theatre events and workshops could contribute to your Arts Award:

Bruce Ingman at De La Warr Pavilion, Bexhill on Sea

Picture book author and illustrator Bruce Ingman joins us for an hour of storytelling and live drawing that provides a perfect introduction to his picture books.

There is plenty of opportunity for audience participation as well as a Question and Answer session at the end allowing the children to follow up with their own questions

Suitable for Arts Award Discover

discover the arts

experience an artist and their work

Jessica Souhami at The Marina in Lowestoft

Picture book creator, Jessica Souhami specialises in retellings of folk tales from all over the world. Reading her stories and using them as examples, her fascinating presentation explains how she came to be a picture book creator and provides an insight into some of the techniques she uses when she makes her books. A Question and Answer session at the end allows the children to follow up with their own queries and comments.

Suitable for Arts Award Explore

take part in an arts activity

experience the work of an artist

In-school workshops
Following on from her theatre presentation, Jessica’s hands-on workshops give the children the opportunity to use some of her tips and techniques to create a picture book of their very own.